Gordie Howe Bridge Bike Rack Design
Team Members
Daljit Kaur Khehra (Designer)
David Le (Designer)
Tools
Blender
AutoCAD
Illustrator
The Contest
The Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan includes a commitment to design one-of-a-kind, locally-inspired bike racks that will be installed at various locations within the host communities and along the expanded trail systems in Windsor and Detroit that connect to the project multi-use path. The Gordie Howe International Bridge team welcomes bike rack design concepts that celebrate and reflect the communities closest to the project, including Sandwich/west Windsor in Canada and Delray/Southwest Detroit in the US.
Our Solution
Our design concept is based on the different stages of a blooming rose. The design consists of 4 upright roses that progressively increase in height and change subtly in appearance. Each rose resembles a different stage of the rose blooming from a bud to a fully-formed rose. The design celebrates and reflects the host community of Sandwich/West Windsor since Windsor is known as “The Rose City.” It also reflects Sandwich Town's growth as a community with the Gordie Howe International Bridge linking it to Detroit, attracting new visitors and businesses. As a result, the town is now being referred to as “New Sandwich Town," with our bike rack adding to the story of it growing and flourishing as a community.
Furthermore, the bike racks are embedded into the concrete pad rather than having a minimum of 2 ground-anchoring elements to allow for secure mounting to the concrete pad. By doing so, the design truly resembles a rose growing from the ground. This adds to its appeal not only as a representation of the host communities but also as a piece of art integrated into the surrounding environment. For those who don’t know the full story behind the bike rack, they can still view and enjoy them as pleasant art pieces while sparking curiosity about the meaning behind the design.
